So very true. And this is just one example. I've seen people breaking newly built footpaths to create shortcut for bikes, they'd through garbage in the parks when there are garbage bins around. There is a need to educate people. Instead of increasing the tax amount, I say fine people whenever they break a law, even as tiny as through rubbish and wrappers on roads and parks or even at the beaches.

Well said , and if a accident happens ,people keep blaming/cursing/abusing/ drivers , government and whoever we can think in that time. The most used line "Dekh kai nahi chala saktay kya" , "ameer baap ki ulad, paidal chalnay walon ko insan nahi samjhtay" etc etc

We all see this happens around us and even we also involve in some of this type of incidence. I'll simply say that we have got habit to adopt 'short cuts' no matter what risk(s) it may involve, even our own lives.

I've also observed people crossing roads instead of using nearby over-head pedestrian bridges in Karachi even on busy roads like Shahra-e-Faisal! It's really hard to believe but some people even jump over fences erected by CDGK right under over-head pedestrian bridges in order to cross roads, I don't know why ????

I think we do not have patience. People are always seen in hurry state of affairs as I have often seen people crossing the roads at the risk of their lives while having overhead bridges and we always blame governments for not spending money on infrastructure. We need to learn from developed nations and must behave in disciplined way.

I agree! We are extremely impatient and are horribly unaware of the concept of safety and precaution. It is evident from the fact that we will only wear seat belts if the policeman is watching us, or the motorbike rider will only wear the crash helmet if there is a policeman standing on the road who can fine him. Same is the case with taking the safe route of overhead walking bridges than to put yourself and your family at risk. Numerous people have lost their lives just because they were trying to cross the road at points where they were not supposed to or allowed to do so. People even go as far as breaking the fence along the roads just to avoid walking a few extra yards to take the zebra crossing or a crossing bridge. This is just plain

Mind-boggling indeed. But maybe it's not their fault - the offenders were never taught to do otherwise. We need to a countrywide campaign to imbue people with a sense of civic sense and teach them basic rules.

It

Usually, the masses are either extremely careless towards the road precautions or, in some cases, uneducated about them. And sadly, the scenario mentioned in this post is not an exception but a rather oft-indulged-in practice.

Just observe cars, trucks, motorbikes, cycles, rickshaws etc on the wrong side of the road. Just to save a few minutes, or a few rupees worth of Petrol an increasing number of drivers are doing this. I believe the problem is law enforcement. All over the world, people are greedy and lack patient - but the fact that they know that when they do something like that, there is a substantial chance to get caught and pay a heavy price. Pakistan has to be one of the most under-policed country in the world. We need more, better paid and better trained police on our streets. We also need clarity in legal framework so that culprits could be handed justified punishments in a short period of time. If we do this, all such problems will vanish.........Its that simple !

This parallel universe theory..it's a common trait for all the people of the sub-continent, not exclusive to Pakistanis. You share it with neighbouring India and Bangladesh, please acknowledge.

Your article is right in a sense, to educated and people from some part of the population, as this article tells us that crossing is dangerous and if you can read, the overhead inscriptions says that follow traffic rules, and its written in english, I am sure that people who does cross the roads have no notion of security or following the rules or how to behave civic-ally,the problem here is not the people or the builders of overhead bridges, its our system and our government,who is in the dark ages and they do not provide with package,and teach the people ,what the roads are for and there are rules to follow, and in everyday life, we have to follow rules and it applies to each one of us, but alas in Pakistan such things are only reserve to our religion and only religion, as long as one prays, its a good man and all the other stuff is for the world to sort out, I think the malaise here is the society is ignorant and with it the govt; so until someone take a look at all this small problems, which causes the biggest stress, and as always the simple things are dearer to afford, untill we make our lives more simpler and effective,people will be dying ignorant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not really! I think it has more to do with physical fitness. Many people would get exhausted climbing a few stairs, more so when carrying a child. On top of that, if you are a woman clad in a burqa and wearing a matching footware, crossing road straight would look much more safe than climbing up and down those stairs of the bridge!

Absolutely, another of our society's fault over which no government (or even the US, our favourite punching bag) can be accused or held accountable for... In the west, you are socially frowned upon if you dodge safety procedures, but it is considered macho in our country!

Well, I find crossing through subways more comfortable than over bridges.

This short cut makes a long journey... Beware

That is true, Krishnan. Many people die every year crossing Rail lines in Mumbai despite government trying to stop them.

We are the fastest nation when it comes to crossing the roads. Life and death is in the hands of Allah Mian. If one is destined to die will run over by a speeding bus, if not then will slip down from the stairs of the overhead bridge. Then why why bother about the mode of crossing a road. I wish were as fast in doing other goods things as we are in crossing the roads.

Fair and strict law enforcement is the only way out....sab seedhay ho jain gayyyy....

Hasaan Haider has pointed out an important thing about Pakistani culture. Of course, we see hundreds of such acts everywhere in this country. The reason is that we are still living in agricultural age and are at least hundred years behind. The over-head bridge is something that belongs to the Industrial age. How can we expect our people to travel an age within 60 years. As a matter of fact, we could make this journey by travelling in the rocket of EDUCATION. But our leaders thought that proving to India that we were superior to them anyway, is more important. So they spent money to make guns and didn't make any Education Rockets. It is as simple as that.

Thats so true. On the other hand this problem is not only associated with our country, but our neighbour countries are also suffering from it. I think the main reason is that people in our part of the world are uneducated and impatient, due to which they prefer taking the shortcut rather than following the safety precautions.

It could be that the traffic is quite less at the time of crossing and hence they decided to chance the oncoming traffic instead of the long route. Still, I have seen people trying to attempt the crossing during rush hour so really can't defend this sort of behavior. It's their own choice if they wish to risk their lives for a short cut.

This picture only show our whole nation need to get a lesson on how to be discipline, and to respect law. Pakistanis love. to take short cuts without any reason. One can see people crossing railway tracks and endangering their lives on to see why two men are fighting on the opp. track. not only illiterate do but.. educated ones also break laws. So law breaking has become a part of our culture. p.s please do not blame the govt. but our own-selves

We are a nation in search of shortcuts. Be it crossing the road, paying a bill, getting a degree, building a career or even going to heaven. Most of us don't realize that by living life as a series of shortcuts actually cuts your life short. While doing so we also shorten the lives of our fellow Pakistanis. The only way out is realizing that most good things take patience and effort.

Well the nation of ours has decided not to co-operate with anything which is useful for them. There are so many examples, this one is only a single instance. I remember once I was in Lahore passing through the canal road two boys on bike were doing wheelie! They hit a water tanker from backside and one of them died on the spot. Death was not from collision between the bike and the tanker but was due to the vehicle that over ran that boy. Protesters got the tanker driver and broke his tanker, when infact he was trying to figure it out what happened! Later it was published in newspaper that both boys were minor (under 18).

Alongside these scientific theories, there is another one on human psychology, of the theory of Economics. Human mind is naturally inclined to take actions which are most economic. Crossing the road wherever you want is, I guess, one of these natural decisions. But with changing time, nothing is natural anymore. When everyone is in a hurry, the pedestrian and the four-wheelers, I believe people either end up ignoring the risk of horrible consequences, which must be part of the decision making. I think strict rules, more red-crossings, and more over/under bridges could help train our attitude.

Few months ago I was traveling in domestic flight, I had the misfortune of company of a weird guy who refused to buckle his seat belt even on persisting insistence of the air crew. The guy keeps on saying he was following sharia and according to sharia if he has to die in the plane the seat belt wont help. And all this happened during the peak of terrorist incidents in 2009.

I think they are ignorant and lack common sense.

A lot of people have made quite sensible excuses for the projected act. no problem has a single solution, multifaceted problems need multifaceted solutions. but education is the key and social attitudes towards such problems are really important, even so people will decide on any given day what to do how!

Maybe one of the person in the group had a back problem and couldn't climb the step of stairs. Also many of us would do that when in hurry. Yet we fail to look at ourselves and love to play the blame game. There are those people as well who would prefer the stairs but they don't make news, do they??

This is pakistan, because these are pakistanis and these are the people who cry all the time about the government not doing enough.

Nice blog.

The reason is very simple; too many steep, inconvenient stairs for the pedestrians. It is impractical to drag yourself two to three flights of stairs over a pedestrian bypass which is equivalent to a two-three storied building. This act of choosing to cross the road is very natural. The real reason is the poor solution offered through the overhead pedestrian bypass.

.... developed/civilized nations have almost abandoned the system of overhead passes. Instead, they have regulated their traffic to facilitate pedestrian crossings at the street level. Overhead bypasses are impractical and not a solutions to pedestrian problems. You cannot expect/force some one to climb flights of stairs when a more natural/humane/convenient way is to cross the road at the street level. The real cause is the disregard to human life in Pakistan. In countries like UAE , USA etc.. pedestrians are given a lot of regard by the motorists, whereas in Pakistan, the motorist can easily overrun a human being..

Very well said.

Seems like most of you who have posted here lives overseas. Look at the above picture again and now tell me who is in his/her right mind would like to cross a small road in 10 minutes and then sweat like hell at the other end. Forget about older people or folks who are carrying children, I think for them we will need an ambulance on the other side to take them to the hospital (Ambulance! That

I totally agree with you Omar, but I would like to add one more caution to your last sentence. Eventhough it is their own choice if they risk it, their short cut choice may endanger others that did not have a choice, i.e., drivers and/or passengers of on coming vehicle/s. A driver may cause another accedent or hit an obstacle in order to avoid hitting the unsafe pedestrians.

It is not the question of education. How an old man, a person with heart disease and or joints pain can climb so many stairs. Under ground would have been an answer. I have seen escalators being used instead of stairs in Iran. Hoping a better standard of living and escalators.

This simple act of crossing the road while ignoring the safer mode has far reaching interpretation into the psyche of the average Pakistani, taking "short cuts" into "almost anything at any cost". There are clearly "safer methodical procedures" to action almost anything in this 21st Century. Sadly our general public lacks everyday common sense, one only needs to look at "how" they elect the leaders of the country. It's the governments duty to "educate" the public at large, what hope is there when a nation is blessed time and again with leadership like ours. Pakistan survives on a "wing and a prayer".

I agree with one of the readers who has noted that it is the great and exhausting physical effort that is need to climb up the set of stairs that induces people to avoid the over head walkway-crossing for the "quicker"and easier short cut. The builders must have anticipated and provided electric lifts or escalators at either ends of the elevated cross-walk in order to facilitate its use. Thus it is not fair to pile all the blame on the "short-cut" seekers.

Absolutely correct.

Is there something wrong in our culture, laws, behaviour, education and upbringing that nobody care safety and sanctity of life. This family should have been charged on risking their lives and especially life of toddler, but who cares?. I was shocked to read news recently, that five kids died by suffocating in a car, while they were playing in car and car doors locked automatically. Why parents of those unfortunate kids were not charged for negligence amounting to death. Those parents should have been thrown in jail for rest of their lives, where they could mourn death of their children uninterrupted.

I may disagree with the main point about expenditure on the public safety but I fully agree on the following: There

It has little to do with education, and a lot to do with the lack of civic sense and disregard for rules and regulations.

While visting Moscow I noticed they had taken care of this problem by building underground tunnels which are easier for pedestrians to go downstairs and then walk to end up on the other side of the road. While the rest of the word is still building overhead bridges which look ugly and are less pedestrian friendly.

I think it has less to do with a lack of education or good sense than to do with spontaneity and independence of thought. In China, or even America for that matter, nobody even thinks of jumping over the ropes that are meant to keep people in queues. But in India, and evidently in Pakistan as well (which delights me to be honest!) people can't bear to be told what to do and must necessarily think of their own way of doing things. This is a bad thing because it leads to poor efficiency and lots of accidents, but in a way it's a good thing because it also means that people are independent thinkers - however, it would certainly be better if independent thought were directed toward productivity rather than toward flouting basic safety rules...

Do not judge people by the choices they make! We all weigh the Pros and Cons of every option and then choose the best one based on our individual selection criteria. We cannot say for some one else whether he/she made the right choice or not. Because they always do based on their knowledge, limitations and circumstances.

It is said that a single picture conveys a thousand words and over here,the writer has brilliantly explained the utter foolishness of some people who put their and their dependents' lives on the line just for the sake of saving some time and money.

Many a times one hears the logic for breaking a traffic law that since road was free from traffic therefore I broke the signal or a traffic law. Our founding father Quaid M.A. Jinnah was once travelling in Karachi at 3 a.m at night. His driver considering the fact that road was free of any traffic broke the signal and drove away. On this Quaid admonished him and said that law has to be respected even when there is no one watching you. This attitude of breaking the traffic laws develops a habit whereby people start breaking them even when there is traffic and people to watch. Civilized nations are known from there road discipline. Laws must be upheld in all circumstances. No exceptions.

What a great thing writer has pointed out! "Traffic Rules" is something very alien to we people. I have seen comments from people saying it's more convenient. How selfish, for your own convenience and saving a bit of hassle you are risking lives of those accompanying you, as well as causing way too inconvenience for the drivers on the road. When such people (God forbid), gets hit by a driver on the road, all the blame is solely put on the driver. They can't see that the pedestrians were the one who should be blamed for violating the law. Even the concept of Zebra Crossing doesn't exist, even in the educated class. Probably people here just take it as a random pattern on the road to beautify the track or something. Life and death is in the hand of God, but that doesn't mean you jump from 13th floor and expect that God will save you!

For me, it

The only way to make Pakistanis good citizens

The reason is the sense of urgency and sometimes laziness. We Pakistanis want to have a short cut of everything that's why we do so even don't bother to violate a law.

Poor alternative solution coupled with the lack of knowledge of the dangers involved in crossing roads directly is the only reason why they crossed the roads like this. To some uneducated person, or even an educated one who might be in a little hurry, this will be a far more attractive way of crossing the road. And as for living abroad, over here they do not have overhead bridges they have signals activated to allow pedestrians to walk through but even those take a lot of time sometimes. They are successful, nevertheless, because of the way children are trained right from the beginning to use them no matter what. What this picture depicts is no mystery.

That's true and I definitely hold the same opinion as you on this (Sometimes the cynic in me wins out as was the case in my first post :) ) But as someone here pointed out overhead passes are a bit impractical. More convenient ways to cross the road at the street level should be looked for (maybe regulate the traffic to facilitate pedestrian crossings). And if that is not possible, then perhaps the government should launch an awareness campaign to the public about the dangers they pose to not only themselves but also to those people driving on the road. Can't say how much effective that will turn out to be but at least it's a step in the right direction

Everybody is aware of the consequences, and the alternates, we just need proper rules and rule makers for their implementation.

It is called easy come easy go, If easy go wrong, they are jigged, If they are jigged, they want to go easy but it comes hard, can some one change it, no, until and unless some one want to give up himself, because it is human nature, like the writer, he wrote his article with the same, easy come easy go, without looking at himself, so he is jigged. Why, because it is the nature bro.

Rules are there and further we cannot post law enforcers at every corner what we need is CIVIC SENSE which is badly lacking in our society

At times it's not about the shortcut or urgency. It's about how secure you feel in adopting anything. I do not know if you people have ever experienced the ride of overhead pedestrian bridge or not, if no then try atleast once, you will feel more vulnerable to snatchers. This fear would inevitably ask you to to use the conventional way of crossing the road.

people are intrinsically lazy and are only getting lazier with the passage of time, so instead of making over head bridges, the municipal authorities should make underpasses. going down is easier then going up. short term thinking prevails; so nobody will think that once they go down, they have to go up the other side.

In our city, Karachi, underground tunnels are ineffective and will be plunged with lots of hardship, like rain water, beggers, drug addicts dwell, and so on.

Ah! 62 years passed.....look where we are still......this clearly jay walking.....what walking!!!

Yes, I agree with Bushra............Blaming each other without proper reasoning have become a general attitude of our nation. Instead of appreciting the authorities that atleast something is done rather than nothing, we just like to play the blame game.

I personally believe that this argument is futile from the beginning. I think you are missing a crucial point when trying to explain it in terms of science, because scientifically they are doing the sane thing by reaching from point A to point B with the least distance possible. Thats law of nature...... I live in Europe people do that all the time thats not only in Pakistan so just back off from unnecessary criticism. please try and bring something that constitute the real problems.

I think this is not a topic worthy of discussion-- I live in the US and not only I but a lot of people break traffic signs all the time. I agree with the comments by Mr. Raza Mujtaba... it's just convenience after a complete appraisal of safety.

Living in europe is not a guarantee that 1. you will get the point all the time (as you have missed the point here) 2. people in europe do not have parallel universe Forget the law of nature, what about the law of land? What about social ethics and civics? Oh, but these are certainly not the real problems. I Hail the eternal and mass myopia amongst the pure and faithful.

Very well said!!!

I'm actually quite experienced with this, and I agree with you.